Hatchet man

the person whose job it is to fire or lay off fellow employees in a company. It is usually a human resources employee, doing the dirty work for the owner or president of the company. They break the news to you, get the appropriate papers signed, make sure you clean out your workspace (not taking off with any company property), and see you off the premises.

While a company hatchet man may have some input as whether or not you get the sack, they do not make the final decision. They are acting on the boss behalf, and such responsibilities are covered by their salary. Therefore they are like a workplace hitman, getting paid to finish people off for the higher ups.